Mayhem at Metropolis!
by musicnotes093
Summary: Well, the Daily Planet wasn't wrong about that.
1. 01

**Title:** _"_ _Mayhem at Metropolis!"_

 **Rating:** T

 **Genre:** adventure, family

 **Character(s):** Leo D., Kara Zor-El/Power Girl, Val-Zod/Superman, more DC and LR characters

 **Pairing(s):** Dasha, past Val/Tasha, established Kara/James

 **Summary:** Well, the Daily Planet wasn't wrong about that.

 **Notes:** More ideas came. We're aiming for five chapters, so let's see where this goes. This could be a stand-alone, kind of, but it would help to read the prequel to this. It fills the gaps nice and neat-ish.

You'll immediately note that this starts off after something _major_ has happened. There used to be a chapter that "shows" the event, but it presented a huge bump. Hence the "used to be." :( Anyways, hope you find it as enjoyable still (because it was a blast for me writing this).

 **Disclaimer:** On my profile page, if you please.

* * *

 _01._

"Val, don't do this to him. None of what happened was his fault."

Val took a long glance inside his apartment. From where he stood, he had a good view of his son sitting at the living room. He did feel sorry for him to a degree: the sixteen year-old's hands were knotted, no doubt out of worry for what his father might tell him next. The boy's clothes and face evidenced the disaster that took place at the plaza just a couple of hours ago. He felt inclined to assure him, just as Kara wanted him to do, and he also wanted to make sure that he wasn't hurt terribly.

But then he caught sight of the t-shirt under his polo shirt, the black garment printed with the chrome House of El insignia, and suddenly he remembered why he had gotten upset.

"I can't just let this slide, Kara," Val firmly told his cousin. A cool afternoon breeze blew past the balcony while the distant sirens of ambulances and police cars echoed some blocks away. "I told him not to get ID'd, and that's _exactly_ what he did."

"You're overreacting. How'd you know that Leo was even ID'd?"

"Do you want to wait 'til he's kidnapped and threatened to be killed before you can believe me?"

"Like I said, you're overreacting," Kara said, crossing her arms. "It was an absolute disaster there earlier. I'm sure Penguin and his goons were as confused as the citizens when what happened happened."

Val only looked down on the tablet in his hand, his jaws locking and unlocking as he shifted uncomfortably.

Taking note of these, Kara said, "I know you're afraid, but you can't be so uptight. That's too cruel on you and on Leo."

"You don't understand, Kara. One day, when you have your own child, you'll know exactly why I'm acting this way."

Kara shot him a deadpan look. "If anything, you should be proud and excited," she said. A small, sad smile formed on her face. "Kal would have been. This is a big day for our family."

Upon the mention of his brother, Val's expression darkened. "Yeah, well, Kal isn't here, is he? And there's only me to blame for that, just as there will only be me to blame if something bad happens to my son." He then headed back inside, Kara swiftly following in his tow.

Leo shot up from his seat when his father came into the living room, a terribly displeased expression on his face. He watched anxiously as his father pulled up what he had on his tablet to the television screen. _MAYHEM AT METROPOLIS!_ the heading of the Daily Planet's fresh online article read. Underneath ran: _A New Teenage Superhero on the Rise?_ Below was a photograph of the chaos in the plaza earlier, people running in different directions to take shelter. On the distance between the rubbles stood a figure, perhaps the only one panicked for a different kind of reason.

The photographer only caught a picture of him from the back.

"What were you thinking?" Val demanded.

"Uh…'Oh man, oh man, I almost got squashed to death by that pillar'?" Leo said half-jokingly in hopes of being spared of his father's anger.

Unfortunately, Val only demanded through a deathly look that he take the situation seriously.

"I didn't want to do it, Dad, it just happened," Leo explained. "What Grayson's weird villain guy did really scared me. I was just trying to get out of there, and the next thing I know—"

"I don't want to hear it. I really don't want to hear it," Val said. Leo closed his mouth, humiliated and hurt by this. Val continued, "How many times do I have to tell you that you have to distance yourself from these people? These people are mean and evil and downright _sadistic,_ Leo, and they will not hesitate to hurt you and the people you care about."

Leo looked down on his shoes. "Others have tried to kill me, remember?" he muttered. "Almost died three times."

"What?" Kara exclaimed, surprised and indignant. "Who tried to kill you?"

"Yeah, well, the men and creatures _we_ deal with will _always_ be much worse," Val said, ignoring Kara. He pointed at the screen. "I'm sure Ron Troupe already has eyewitness accounts of you using your super strength and your heat vision. I can almost guarantee you that. You know what story they would probably run with tomorrow? That there's another Kryptonian in town, and with all of the people who would turn up and say they saw it, it would be nearly impossible to deny that. Do you know how people feel about aliens like us? They hate us. They don't want us here. Many people have no tolerance for things they do not understand."

"But there are also people who like you and Kara. They like you, and support you," Leo reasoned. "I was there, Dad. All the people that showed up today for the Appreciation Day – they were all there to show that. Why does it matter what these other people think and say? Isn't the point of all of this to do good, even to the people who don't want to do the same for you?"

Val chuckled humorlessly. "If you think you're getting out of this easily, you're sadly mistaken."

"What? You're punishing _me_ for helping people?"

"I'm punishing you for not listening."

"You told me I can go there today!"

"Watch your tone. You're getting too excited," Val said, pulling out his phone when it started ringing.

"I just don't understand why you're mad at me," Leo said more calmly. "I did everything you told me to do. I called for you, several times. I even called Aunt Lois, but no one came. People were getting hurt. I was about to get hurt, but then the heat vision kicked in, and—that was terrifying for me, Dad! I couldn't control anything! And no one was there to help me. I did what I could under the circumstances, and I really don't think I did anything wrong."

Val looked back and forth between his son and the caller ID, which revealed it to be Agent Sato. He wanted to explain all the consequences of what happened, but he knew if he allowed the call to go unanswered it may hurt the situation more than help it. The World Army had caught wind of what happened, he knew. He had to address it. "Pack up your things," he told his son, distracted as he made his way out the front door to take the call. "You're going back to Mission Creek first thing in the morning."

" _What?_ But Dad—"

"I'm sorry, Leo, but you can't stay here with me anymore."

Leo only stared at him, heartbroken. Then, with an undercurrent of anger he mumbled, "That's okay. You're not the first person to throw me to the curb when I mess things up anyway."

That struck Val hard. However, obligation drew him out to the hallway, closing the door behind him to answer his phone.

Meanwhile, Kara stared at her cousin pityingly, stricken, too, by what he had said. After he sat down, she took a seat beside him. She formulated the words she thought might help but didn't have the confidence to speak them. Eventually, she ended up saying, "Your dad loves you, Leo. Believe me, he does. It's just… He's scared to lose you. He's scared you'd get hurt."

"No. He just doesn't trust me."

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is." Leo huffed. "You know what? Whatever. I'll just pack my things as he said and go back. I'll just figure it all out myself."

Kara said nothing more. She knew further prodding would only aggravate her cousin. He was hurt, and at the moment it seemed like nothing anyone could say would help.

She could sympathize, in a way. If Kal hadn't taken her in and left her to figure out the strange and new things on her own, she would probably feel the same way, too. It no doubt made it worse for him, the thought that his father shunned him just when he needed him most.

Kara wanted to assure Leo that he wasn't alone, but from the looks of it she knew words weren't going to cut it. Action. Action was better. Plus, there was something she wanted to test out. "Hey Leo," she said.

"What."

"Catch me."

Leo narrowed his eyes at her. "What?"

With a grin, Kara flicked him on the nose then super sped to the balcony.

Leo gasped, covering his nose, as she took off to the skies. He growled as he jumped to his feet. _"Kara!"_ he called after her, picturing his cousin just laughing at him. Despite not knowing whether he had super speed and flight like his cousin and his father, he took off to the balcony.

He wasn't just going to let this go.

* * *

 _to be continued._


	2. 02

_02._

With his cheek perched at the base of his palm, Leo stared at the computer screen absolutely sure that soon he would die of boredom. His stepfamily brought him along on their mission to stop Krane from broadcasting his whacko, creepy override invention, but as always he was left manning the controls (in the RV/lab parked near the site this time). It wasn't that he wanted to be out there with them. Actually, they were overstepping their World Army adviser. They were supposed to report incidents like that to the organization, but then his stepfather and Chase agreed that they could – and _should_ – take this one on their own.

He may not have been familiar with the agents assigned to his siblings, but Leo had known Sonia for as long as he could remember. There was no way he was willing to cross her or any agent like her. No, thank you.

Still, he had long tired of deskwork. Since the beginning, he had been chained to looking through surveillance and giving instruction through comms. Would it really kill the dynamic if they assigned him something different?

 _"_ _We just need to keep looking,"_ he heard Chase say. _"They'll turn up eventually. Knowing Krane, he won't be able to resist springing something on us."_

 _"_ _Leo, you've been quiet there a while,"_ Donald said. _"Are you doing okay?"_

"Yes. I'm doing all right."

 _"_ _I'm sorry, Leo. I know you really want to be out here with us, but it's just not plausible,"_ said Donald. _"Your mother will kill me if something happens to you."_

 _"_ _It's way too dangerous,"_ Chase added though sympathetic.

"Don't worry about me. You guys just do what you have to," Leo said, holding his hands up. He leaned back on his chair, crossing his arms. "Although, you know, I really think we should have told Agent Reeves about this."

Chase scoffed. _"Why? You don't think we can do this?"_

"Oh, I think you can do it. It's just that, you know – it would've been a bit more comfortable if we had the option of back-up if we need it."

 _"_ _Please. The World Army guys are nice and all, but we don't need them to solve our problems for us,"_ Chase said.

 _"_ _Especially not with them keeping secrets,"_ Bree muttered.

"You don't trust them?" Leo asked.

 _"_ _Do you?"_ Chase asked.

 _Sonia, Kendra, and Jay, yeah. And the rest of the Wonders,_ Leo wanted to say. Instead, he replied, "Reeves seems like a decent guy."

 _"_ _He's a wreck when he's nervous, though,"_ Adam chimed in, chuckling.

 _"_ _Yeah, well, until they give us clearance for the things we need to know, I think we have a right to go on missions of our own,"_ Chase said.

 _Hate to break it to you, buddy, but that clearance thing might take a while,_ Leo thought.

 _"_ _Douglas, how about you? Anything where you and Bree are?"_ Donald asked.

 _"_ _Nope."_ Then, _"Yep."_

 _"_ _Douglas. Little girl,"_ Krane's smug greeting came through the comm, pulling Leo to the edge of his seat. _"Why am I not surprised to see you both tonight?"_

 _"_ _Uh, probably because you were expecting us?"_ Bree sassed.

 _"_ _We're coming there now,"_ Chase said.

 _"_ _Hm, no we're not,"_ Adam said, obviously caught unaware by something. He chuckled nervously. _"Hey, guys, how're you doing? D'you think you can, you know, just let us through this time?"_

Scuffling and sounds of combat filled the headset. Hurriedly, Leo pulled up the keyboard in an attempt to scramble the signal from the satellite that no doubt would soon go online. Occasionally, he looked at the surveillance cameras to check on his stepfamily. Things appeared hopeful in the beginning.

Then, as minutes rolled along, their situation turned bleak.

They were far outnumbered. Also, even with their abilities maxed out, taking down that many opponents with similar and unexpected capabilities proved difficult.

Even he wasn't having such a good time with the hacking. His skills were decent, but stacked against an advanced program and probably a programmer with superior intelligence, his chances were dismal. He used all the coding and hacking tips and tricks Jimmy had taught him, but the reality was that he was no Doctor Impossible. He couldn't do it. He couldn't stop it like this.

 _"_ _Get your hands off of me!"_

Bree's growl caused Leo to look at the video feed. His heart dropped to his stomach. A couple of teenagers under Krane's control held each of his siblings back. One tightly grasped at Douglas' arm, anchoring him. Meanwhile, in the middle of the semi-circle were Krane and his stepfather, the former pointing the latter's own blaster at him.

 _"_ _Let me go!"_

 _"_ _Mr. Davenport!"_

 _"_ _How ironic. You provided me with what I need,"_ Krane said, grinning at the patriarch predatorily. _"You know what hurt the most? It's not when they took out my chip; that one's relatively painless. It's when I woke up the next day with stitches in the back of my neck. They made sure I won't ever have abilities again."_ He laughed humorlessly. _"Consider this my thank you note."_

Leo knew he promised himself that he would never use his abilities in front of this side of his family, but he didn't have any choice. He glanced at his wrist, just as everything had begun slowing down. He hadn't been wearing the watch his father gave him because, to be honest, he was still upset. It had been nearly half a year since he sent him packing to go back to Mission Creek, and his father hadn't made any attempts to start a conversation about what happened.

Did he want his father to apologize? No. Of course not. He did see why he reacted that way. Plus, his father owed him nothing. Would it have been nice if he didn't avoid the topic altogether? Definitely. And it would've been great if he heard it from his father why he just sent him away like that instead of hearing it from Kara.

The watch had been in his desk drawer for weeks now. He probably wouldn't've called Superman anyways because Chase was right: there were problems that he needed to deal with on his own.

He looked at the box of cuffs, the one with the signal interrupter, and decided to take the whole lot with him. He got up from his seat, picked it up, and then headed out the RV.

Everything was so still, the world around him moving in a very, very slow motion. Kara, during their many training sessions, had told him that was natural and expected. He still hadn't gotten over it, though, and he doubted he would for a long time. When surrounded with usually immobile objects, like the night sky, the moon, and trees, it didn't seem so odd.

It definitely got weird, however, when he was with people. Running into the site, Leo couldn't help but stop for a moment and hitch his brows at the unmoving people. They all looked like mannequins, moving frame by frame every few seconds or so.

He frowned when looking at his siblings. Chase was stuck in the middle of yelling 'No!', Bree in the middle of yanking her right arm out of a soldier's hold. Adam stared wide-eyed at what was about to happen, while Douglas leaned forward, maybe in an attempt to run towards his brother. Krane had a devious look in his eyes, his laugh that of a madman, as the laser blast from the blaster darted towards a surprised Donald at a speed of roughly a quarter of a mile an hour.

 _Super speeding is so weird,_ Leo thought.

He set off to work. One by one, he carefully cuffed the soldiers' hands behind their back, gently leaning them backwards or sideways so they would be falling to the ground. (Kara said gentleness was key. Brash action plus super speed equals absolute destruction of something when things return to normal.) After liberating Douglas from the teenager holding him, he made sure his step-uncle wouldn't fall flat to his face by pulling him back to a standing position.

Once done, he ran to the satellite dish. With his super strength, he hit it, causing the metals underneath to compress slowly but surely and the dish to cave in on itself.

He had just enough time to move his stepfather out of the way when he finished with everything.

When he stopped speeding and everything went back to its usual pace, many things happened at once. The soldiers, now cuffed, fell clumsily to the ground. Douglas and his stepsiblings staggered a little as they lost their balance. With a loud bang, the satellite imploded. His stepfather hit the ground, while he dodged the shot easily.

Krane, confused, looked round about him, taken aback by the very sudden turn of events. He glanced at the destroyed satellite, wide-eyed, and then turned his attention to the teenager that appeared out of nowhere.

"Don't," Leo warned after seeing the madman's grip on the blaster tighten again.

Krane did it anyway, lifting it up. Leo prevented him by activating his heat vision.

The blaster exploded, knocking Krane out and, consequently, the soldiers on the ground.

Instead of feeling accomplished and victorious, Leo, to his surprise, felt guilt. Krane may have been bad, but he was still a person who could sense pain. Hopefully the burns on his hands weren't too bad. _Man, forget the burns._ "I hope he's not dead," Leo muttered under his breath, inching a little closer to check their nemesis' condition.

"What…How did you…"

Leo turned around and found his stepfamily staring at him, shocked and scared, very confused.

His stepfather pointed at him. "You're not – I mean, he's not…" he stuttered, swiveling back and forth from his stepson and his younger brother. "How—"

"You super sped," Bree stated, still stunned.

"And used _heat vision,_ " Adam added.

Chase shook his head. "That can't… But you're not – You're not bionic," he said. He looked at Douglas. "At least not that _all_ of us know of. Right?"

Douglas, the first to understand and recover from what happened, only crossed his arms, looking at his step-nephew with a cloud of disappointment.

"I can explain," Leo said, knowing there was no way out of it. "But before I do, can we get these guys picked up first _then_ go home to eat? I'm kind of starving."

* * *

 _to be continued._


	3. 03

_03._

Another slice of pizza in hand, and Leo was oblivious to the people around him. He happily chewed on the food, savoring the hot, melted cheese and the delightful marinara sauce. He was pretty sure he consumed a whole large pizza by himself, but it wasn't until now that his stomach felt near to being appeased. It didn't surprise him. Every time he trained with Kara, they always ended up in some restaurant that served heart-clogging meals, swiftly followed by a trip to an ice cream shop.

Suspiciously, Kara ate more than he did. The combinations were often pretty wild, too. He had a hunch she may be pregnant, but there was no way he was going to ask her that.

"I'm sorry, Mom, I know these cost a lot," he said, grinning, as he reached the crust, "but that was one of the best meals of my life."

Only a small smile came up to Tasha's faced, and even that appeared obviously forced. Her arms remained crossed as she watched him, an air of sadness and fear hanging about her.

Leo saw that his mother's wasn't the only unfavorable expression in the room. He noticed that his siblings had barely touched their food. Adam tried his best to work through his, but he lacked the excitement he usually had when it came to food. His stepfather only watched, arms crossed, too, as he waited for him. Douglas, on the other hand, sorted out some things on the cyber desk. Still, it was evident he listened closely to them.

These weighed down the smile on Leo's face. After finishing a bite, he placed down his plate then wiped his mouth clean with a nearby napkin. "All right." He cleared his throat. "Where do you guys want to start?"

"The abilities. What was that about?" Donald said.

"What do you mean? Like, why did I use it?" Leo asked. He chuckled. "You were about to get fried. The hacking wasn't working either, so—"

"You know what I mean. Where did those come from? How come you never told us about it?"

"Uh, well…" Leo looked at his mother, asking her for permission to continue. She gave him a small nod. "Well, I got the abilities from my father, and I never told anyone because it wasn't important."

"Wait, your father?" Chase repeated. "What do you mean? The one that you said…"

"Died? Yeah. Only that he isn't dead." _Just dodging me._

"He's _not_ dead?" Adam asked.

Leo shook his head.

Donald turned towards his wife. "Tasha?"

"No, we weren't lying when we told you my dad was," Leo jumped to his mother's defense. "We thought he had died. He kind of vanished, and we thought that was it, but then my aunt told me a few months ago that he came back. Now here we all are."

"So, your dad gave you your abilities?" Bree asked.

"I… _inherited_ it from him." _I probably should ask him first if I should tell you guys about him._

"Inherited? You were born with these abilities?"

"I guess," Leo answered Chase. "It didn't really kick in until a few months ago. Last summer, actually."

"Is that why you've been crabby since you came back?" Adam asked.

Leo sighed. "Nope. Totally different reason, buddy."

"This is news to me, too," Tasha commented, no hard look on her face.

Leo smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, Mom. I didn't tell you because I was worried you'd get mad at Dad."

"What abilities do you have?" Bree inquired.

"Yeah," Adam chimed excitedly.

"Honestly? I don't really know everything yet. They've kinda just been poppin' out here and there," Leo replied.

"Well, speed and heat vision. We know you have that," Bree prompted.

"Uh, super strength. It's one of the first ones to show," Leo said, thinking.

"Please don't tell me you have any of my abilities. That'd just be too weird," Chase said.

Leo shot him a deadpan look. "Why? You think I'm gonna take the mission leader role away from you?"

"Your father," Donald cut in. "You said you inherited your abilities from him. What exactly is he?"

"If you're asking about his day job, that's classified. If you're asking about his night job, can't tell you. That's very, very classified," Leo replied tactfully. "Only few people can know of it."

Douglas snorted a laugh.

Donald glared at his younger brother. "Why?" he asked Leo.

Leo shrugged. "Just how it is."

"He's not human, then?" Chase asked.

"No."

"Then what is he?"

Leo took a deep breath. "He is of a kind that you've only read from comic books," he replied slowly, unsure whether he should tell them. After all, if none of the World Army agents told them about the Wonders yet, more than likely there was a good reason.

"Like, what. A cyborg? A superhero?" Adam guessed.

"Cyborg, no. Superhero? Yeah. Pretty much," Leo said.

His stepfamily darted glances at each other. Then, Bree and Chase broke out laughing. Donald, meanwhile, hid a smile.

Leo frowned. "What? You guys don't believe me?"

"Leo, there are no such things as superheroes. They're not real," Chase said, grinning. "Me, Adam, and Bree – we're the closest there is to that."

"That's kind of a narrow view of the world around you, Chase, don't you think?" Douglas asked.

"It's not narrow. It's just the truth," Chase said, none at all offended.

"Yeah. Men and women in capes? That sounds unreal," Bree agreed. "And no offense, Leo, but I, personally, am not buying that story."

Leo sat up. "What do you mean you're not buying it? It's the truth!" he said.

Bree narrowed her eyes at him, grinning. She only shook her head, finding her stepbrother's explanation highly amusing.

Chase chuckled. "No, it's not," he said. "That's a great cover-up, though."

"A cover-up? For what?"

"You're trying to protect Douglas. We know," Donald finally said.

The wrinkle on Leo's brows deepened. He exchanged glances with Douglas. The inventor looked more intrigued than he was confused.

"When you were on the run, last summer," Donald started explaining, "something happened, didn't there? Krane showed up, and Douglas ended up having to give you bionics."

"Wait. Huh?" Leo said.

"That's why you're gone every weekend. You train with him. Right?" Bree encouraged. She giggled. "You just think we don't notice, but we do."

"O-kay?"

"Look, it's better if you both just own up to it. I'm sure there was a good reason why Douglas did what he did," Donald said. Then, to Tasha he reasoned, "I'm sure he did it to save his life. Don't be mad at Douglas, honey. At least not for this reason."

Leo stared at his stepfamily, his features wrought in utter confusion and disbelief. Their theory left him speechless. Was the truth really that unbelievable to them that they had to come up with another? How did they even come up with that?

"We kind of wish you had told us sooner, though," Chase told his younger brother, smiling. "We would've been happy to mentor you."

"Eh," Adam disagreed, bobbing his head as if to say 'probably not.'

Bree swatted him on the arm.

Watching them watch him closely, it came to Leo that there would be no point in trying to prove the validity of his account to them. They were sold with their own story; they'd only laugh at him more if he disagreed. And, maybe it just wasn't time for them to know. Maybe one day, when the higher-ups in the organization granted them access.

He glanced at his mother then Douglas, and he saw that they, too, agreed that objecting would only be futile. So, he just smiled sadly at his siblings and said, "You guys are always away. I didn't do too bad on my own, though."

An animated discussion followed afterward, most of which were lost on him. He listened as Adam, Bree, and Chase gave him pointers on how to use his abilities, but the information didn't serve the purpose they think it had for him. He didn't have bionics, so their tips were simply inapplicable. They planned for training sessions in the future, but he tactfully declined. He gave them the reason that he would rather focus on his behind-the-scenes work for now.

That wasn't a lie. He really did want to stay in the background. After the events in Metropolis the past summer, he thought that staying away from the spotlight for the mean time would be best.

The following morning, during a conversation with Douglas, he ended up saying, "They didn't believe me."

Douglas looked up from the gadget he tinkered with. He pointed to a flathead screwdriver and motioned for it. After it was handed to him, he said, "Their loss."

"Are you mad I didn't tell you?"

"Mad, no. You're not obligated to tell me anything." Douglas continued to work. "But a little forewarning would've been appreciated. That stunt last night was definitely something else."

Leo smiled, but only momentarily. "Ah, it doesn't matter anyways. It's no big deal."

Douglas smirked. "It kind of was," he said. "To me, at least. I haven't seen a Kryptonian in action. Well, besides your dad flying. I gotta admit: that was pretty cool."

Leo grinned. "I'm not Kryptonian, Douglas. I'm bionic," he said.

"I wouldn't lose sleep over what Donnie and your siblings do and don't believe," Douglas advised. "They'll know soon enough that they were wrong."

Leo frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The bionic abilities I created are limited. The abilities of your kind? They're not. You can combine as many of your abilities as possible. Adam, Bree, and Chase can't; they'll malfunction. They'll notice that eventually," Douglas said. "And you can do things they can never do. They may seem the same, but levitation and flying are two different things." He frowned. "You _can_ fly, right?"

"Yeah."

"And there's one more thing, probably the most obvious and what would give you away."

"What, the family crest?"

Douglas smirked. "Near indestructibility," he said. "No bionic teenager can and will ever be as nearly indestructible as a Kryptonian."

* * *

 _to be continued._


	4. 04

_04._

Leo stared out into the dark expanse of the ocean, thoroughly annoyed by the voices he heard in his head. He'd had reservations against coming here. Although he was curious as to how this 'Bionic Academy' looked like, its location—in the middle of the Pacific—had him hesitate. He'd never been a fan of big bodies of water like this. Somehow, when close to it, that was when he heard the voices the loudest. He really thought before he came that it would be different this time. Turned out, he was wrong.

He glanced around the manmade island and noted how quiet it had gotten. With the bionic-soldiers-turned-students asleep and his stepfamily well settled in for the night, activity in the island hit a lull. He probably should be turning in, too, but he just couldn't sleep. Besides the voices—a medley of conversations with topics ranging from innocent to violent to something that made him uncomfortable—, he also had many other things on his mind. An alone time up on the roof seemed helpful in clearing some of it.

His phone buzzed. _Where are you?_ Kara asked in her text.

 _Off to my stepfamily's place, somewhere in the Pacific,_ he replied. _Will be back tomorrow afternoon._

 _You're still coming to see me and Jimmy right?_

 _Right. Unless it's not a good time_

 _No no it's ok! It's still good,_ Kara texted back. _Just making sure._ A grinning emoji followed that.

Leo smiled. Then, he placed down his phone.

His stepfather made him another offer. A few months ago, just as the organization entrusted them with the responsibility of reforming Krane's teenage army, he and his stepsiblings extended to him the first: a place in the team. Not an elevated but similar behind-the-scenes-guy place in the team, but an _on-site_ one. They told him that if he wanted it, he could come to the missions with them. He would be in the island with them, meanwhile, and there they could teach him how to be better. To top that off, his stepfather presented to him a mission suit.

It sounded so good, but he declined. He told them he couldn't do it. _Is it because you're scared?_ Bree had asked, deeply concerned. _Because it's not gonna be as bad as you think. The three of us will be there with you._

 _No, it's not that,_ he told her. _It's just…I just can't._

 _Is it because you're worried the training would be too hard?_ Chase tried. _If you're worried about that, it's, you know, it's not gonna be any different from what we've been doing. We're not gonna be harsh._

Adam scoffed. _You, Chase? Not harsh?_

 _Not_ that _harsh, then,_ Chase corrected. _Happy?_

 _It's not that either,_ he had told his older stepbrother. _Look, Big D, you guys, I appreciate the offer. The facility looks great, and the mission suit is amazing. But I can't come with you._

 _Why not?_ Bree asked.

There were many answers. However, only one encompassed the bittersweet but honest reality. _Because this is your new adventure,_ he told her with a sad smile, _and this part doesn't include me._

Though saddened by this, they understood it as true and eventually learned to accept it.

But then tonight, his stepfather (and Adam, Bree, and Chase, too, he was sure) made another play to draw him with them by telling him of an opening. Even with five of them— _six,_ if he counted Perry—, managing all the students still proved difficult. They needed help, and they thought he may just be the man for the job.

 _Just think about it,_ his stepfather encouraged. _You're graduating high school soon. You won't have any more academic responsibilities after that. Working with an international government-linked organization would look pretty good on your résumé. Plus, mentoring students would be interesting._

 _You want me to be a mentor?_

 _Well, not exactly a mentor. More like…a counselor._

 _A counselor._

 _Yeah. These kids don't know how it's like to live out there in the real world, and who best to teach them than the same person who taught Adam, Bree, and Chase how to?_

Honestly, the offer intrigued him. For one, it was something to do once he completed school. For another, the job title sounded nice.

But, as he did the first time, he declined. Living in the academy would put him in close proximity to the World Army agents who frequently visited the premises. Lois had warned him to stay far away from them for the moment. They were still looking for the teenager that showed up in then vanished from Metropolis last summer under unclear and suspicious reasons. He couldn't let himself be caught.

There also existed the reason of his training with Kara. Coming there would mean messing up their already well-established schedule. He had been learning so much, and he couldn't have that.

Then there were also those voices. Those loud, nerve-grating voices that just wouldn't stop.

His phone buzzed again. _Come outside,_ Kara texted him.

Leo frowned. _You want me to come outside?_

As soon as he clicked Send, a pair of feet landed loudly a distance behind him, causing him to flinch.

He turned. "Hey, everybody's—" He stopped.

"Hello, son," Val greeted him solemnly.

Leo slowly stood up. "Dad," he said, a bit perplexed. The box on his father's hands caught his attention. "What are you doing here?"

"Kara told me this is where I can find you. I thought I'd stop by," Val said.

Leo nodded awkwardly, still unsure. "Okay."

Val cleared his throat a moment later to fill in the uncomfortable silence. "You know I'm not one to beat around the bush. There are things we have to talk about, so we might as well start," he said.

"If it's about me being here, don't worry – I'm leaving tomorrow," Leo assured him. "Aunt Lois already told me to keep my distance from the World Army agents. I'll be out of here before Reeves come for his visit."

"That's not what I wanted to talk about."

"Oh."

"I was thinking about what happened last summer."

Acting instinctively, Leo shook his head, a lopsided smile on his face. "Don't worry about it. It's a long, long time ago."

"It's not. And it is something I have to worry about," Val said. "Kara told me what you've told her. She didn't volunteer the information, she just – She just got mad at me and yelled at me. Lois rarely ever yells, but she did tell me before that she shares Kara's feelings about this."

"So, you're here because they both told you to do it."

"I'm here because I finally understand what I did wrong." Val sighed. "You told me that you discovering your abilities scared you. You admitted that what happened was a mess. But instead of helping you with those, I turned you away. I still believe that it had been right to do what I did. I did those things to protect you. But I also know that I didn't do it right. You left thinking that I blamed you for everything and that I didn't care. Those couldn't've been more false.

"Leo, there is one thing for certain: there is _nothing_ I wouldn't do to make sure nobody hurts you. I love you and your mother very, very much. Losing either or both of you would break me," Val admitted. "But now I can see that I'm too focused on the protecting rather than on being a good father. I really messed up on that part."

Leo frowned. "No, you didn't. You're a good dad. I'm _proud_ you're my dad," he said. "You just, well, need to chill a little bit. You're starting to beat Mom's record on smothering me."

Val laughed.

Leo smiled. Then, "I'm sorry, too, Dad. Sorry for letting this thing last almost a year."

"It's an error on my part, too," Val said.

Leo nodded in acceptance.

"By the way, I also came here to tell you that Kara can't continue your training for a while."

" _What?_ "

"She will be off with Jimmy and Kendra to follow a lead concerning Jay," Val explained. "They'd be gone for a few weeks. _Hopefully_ just a few weeks."

"But, she was supposed to teach me high-speed flight maneuvers," Leo said, feeling both worried for his cousin and disappointed for the disturbance in their schedule.

Val smiled. "Will your old man be a terrible substitute?"

Leo's eyes darted towards him then gazed suspiciously. "You're…gonna teach me?"

"If that's all right."

Leo gazed a little longer. Once he was mostly convinced, he said, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah. I'm a little worried, but yes," Leo chuckled, "Okay."

"Great." After taking a quick look around the island (subtly using his sharpened sense of sight), Val said, "I better get going before anyone sees me." Finally, he handed his son the gift-wrapped box.

"What's this?" asked Leo.

"An apology present," Val said. "Kara, Lois, and I had it restructured just for you. You can't use it for now, but hopefully in the future. You'll know when. Take good care of it, okay?" After smiling at his son, he took off into the sky, flying through the dark clouds like a jet.

After his father vanished from view, Leo knelt down to the ground to open the box. He pulled off the gift wrap, restraining himself from using the vision that could see through anything but lead. Once done, he pulled off the lid.

What he saw took his breath away. As it dawned on him that yes, it was real, he started laughing to himself. "No way," he said quietly albeit still excitedly.

Under the light of the quarter moon, the blue suit, streaked with red and some yellow, still appeared as remarkable as he had remembered it. Lifting it up now, he could see what his father meant when it said it had been restructured: the shoulders a bit narrower, the sleeves notably slimmer. The torso had been pulled in narrower so that it would fit him comfortably. In every stitch and pattern, it was different, yet the same.

Looking at it, he couldn't help but think about his family: his father, his Aunt Lois, Kara. What he now held in his hands had always meant so much more to them than it meant to others. After the calamity, the one that took place years before he was even born, this symbolized sacrifice, death, loss. But now they had brought it back, and they trusted him to restore its meaning to what it once was.

They trusted him to wear Kal-El's suit one day, when he was ready.

"Superman," Leo muttered to himself, smiling as he gazed at the suit, its cape whipping along with the breeze. "Hope you don't mind, Uncle Kal. I'll do my best to take care of it."

* * *

 _to be continued._


	5. 05

_05._

It had been two decades since she last set foot in that room, but to her amazement it still looked the same. Its design and engineering remained as intricate as ever, the small accents and displays within each square inch speaking volumes. In some areas she could see discoloration. What used to be dull silver had slightly degraded into rust. Some furniture and articles had been moved, too. Others seemed to have stopped existing altogether.

These didn't surprise her. After all, with a queen so set in her visions, changes were inevitable.

As for the rust—it only came with the territory of having an entire kingdom submerged under the sea.

She walked the throne room in a sluggish pace, savoring every memory that came with familiar things she saw. It didn't seem too long ago until she and her older sister would play here, only to be chided by their mother. Their father would do the same, but later on, when it was just the three of them, he would tell his daughters to come when no one was there. _As long as you promise not to touch anything, you are free to pass time here as you please,_ their father would say.

She smiled sadly. She wished she had said better words to him before she left for land.

"Princess Azura?" called the palace guard. She turned, acknowledging him. (She ignored the look he stole at the clothes she was wearing.) "The Queen is on her way. Is there anything you'd like as you wait?"

She shook her head. "I appreciate the offer," she said.

Dismissed, the guard left.

She stepped up closer to the windows and watched the city move about. Poseidonis had always been very busy at this part of the day. Two ships caught her attention, both leaving, speeding off into the sea. Citizens milled about below, minding their own business in their aquatic world, much like the people did above ground. A school of butterfly fishes swam by half a mile away. They were intrigued, she could hear from their chatter, but cautious at the goings-on of the underwater town.

A part of her _did_ miss this. Above the ocean, up there on the ground, there was nothing like it.

"You can always come back. There will always be room for you."

She spun around. She smiled at seeing her older sister. "Marella."

"Azura," Marella greeted, meeting the younger woman with an embrace. "This is certainly unexpected."

"Can't I just come for a visit?"

"Can? Yes. But you've never wanted to."

The smile on her face shrunk. She wanted to apologize for many things – like leaving, like the heartache her family said she caused them, like never coming back. But she didn't, because she knew it wasn't the time for that. "I hope I'm not interrupting something important," she said instead.

Marella shook her head, smiling. "You are here back in our home. There is nothing more important than that," she said. She took her hands warmly, and then asked, "Tell me, little sister: how has it been?"

She laughed. "It's only been months since I last saw you."

"Well, no doubt – a lot has happened. I want to hear them." Marella's brows gently creased. "You didn't come to tell me you're pregnant, did you?"

"What? No," she said, chuckling though offended. "Are you trying to say I've put on weight?"

"No. You look well," Marella said. She let go of her hold before taking a seat on her throne. "In all honesty, however, I am glad to hear you are not with child. I'd be quite jealous for my nephew."

"My husband now isn't so bad. He'd be a great father."

"Mm, perhaps. But I do not trust him."

She held her tongue. "Our city looks well," she said instead. " _You_ look well on the throne. You're doing such a great job."

"You also would have, Azura, if you had instead become the queen."

"That's not true. I was never like you. I was never born to lead."

Marella smiled. "Yet, between the two of us, you are the most compassionate."

"Compassion doesn't win wars."

"No. It changes worlds." Marella noted thereafter, "I heard about the recent changes with your family. Should I expect more visits?"

"Probably. But I'll keep it to a minimum. I'll only be in the way."

"You won't be. You're part of this family, our kingdom."

"As a princess?" she said, grinning. "I feel like I've outgrown the title, don't you?"

"Well, I can't share the title of Queen with you."

She laughed.

Marella grinned. Later, when it had faded from her face, she inquired, "He has been back for quite a while. I can't help but wonder how you feel about it."

'He' did not need to be named. "It's tearing me apart. That's why I have to stay away," she said.

"You love him still?"

"I never stopped," she said.

"Then why did you agree when they sent you away?"

"Because they were right, and I had another life to protect."

"I could've been a source of protection. You could've lived here with me," Marella said.

"No, no. I – We couldn't've," she said. "That would involve everyone knowing, and I just – I just can't handle that."

Marella was hurt at first. Then, she was angry. "Do you detest being an Atlantean so much that you would do anything to hide it?" she demanded.

"That is not the problem. You know that," she asserted. "It's – it's not safe."

Despite being indignant, Marella didn't argue. She only looked away and took a deep breath.

"But, it's not like it matters now," the younger of the two women said.

"What do you mean?"

"A few months ago, I found out that he has abilities."

"Your son has always had abilities, ever since he was a child."

"Yes, well, these abilities are not ones he inherited from me."

Marella's eyes widened. "From his father?"

She nodded.

Marella sighed. "This complicates matters. Some of our people feel a particular sort of way towards his kind," she said. "I do not mind, of course, and the people in our city may not, too, but—"

"No, Marella. I'm not telling you these things so you can prepare. I'm only telling you these so you know."

Marella stared. "Azura—"

"No. You cannot throw the weight of this nation on him," she said. "He barely knows our people."

"He barely knows them because you've kept them from him."

"And for good reason." She scoffed. "I cannot let him count the years of his life by the wars he had seen. He has hope inside him, he has light. I will not let anyone take that away from him."

"What difference is life up there than life down here? Don't they count wars there, too?"

"They do. But at least there, many people still hasn't lost heart. Our people," she said sadly, "our people are battle-hardened. Whatever heart they have left they have built walls around it."

The observable truth melted the queen's anger. In its wake it left a similar sadness. "I cannot produce for this kingdom an heir, Azura. This is something that you're aware of," Marella said. "Your son is the only one in line to inherit the throne. His hope, his light – those may just be what our people need."

"Father was as hopeful, as positive, yet – what did years of leading do to him?" she said. Tears pooled in the rims of her eyes, but before it could fall she wiped them away. Strength, always. Atlantean royals could never show weakness. "My son will not become king," she said. Then, she left.

Marella called after her over and over, but she didn't turn around.

"Tasha!"

The false name, the one she had assumed so long ago when she left Atlantis, stopped her short. Within these walls, it sounded so foreign, so strange. Nonetheless, it was her reality now.

So, she kept walking, pulling away from the source of her earliest memories and pushing towards her new life with her new husband, his children, and the son she loved.

* * *

 _Yes: not only half-Kryptonian, but also half-Atlantean._

 _Thank you so much, LRW and Livku for supporting this story! They were much appreciated._


End file.
